Ng Man-Lun, a Hong Kong-based sexologist and psychiatrist, said it is estimated that more than 50 percent of sex products sold worldwide are made here. He continued to say that the Chinese are big consumers too, as they took a 70 percent market share in 2008.

Sales of adult toys in China passed 100 million yuan, or $15.9 million, in 2008, and the figure is expected to continue growing at 20 percent a year, according to the report.

“The sex products industry is thriving in China,” the report said.

The report cited a survey released last year that found that most buyers were men, while most users were women. A customer spent an average 1,823 yuan, or $289, a year on sex products, a 30 percent increase from 2010.

The majority of purchasers were between 20 and 50 years old, and the most popular sex products were sex toys, massage oil and lingerie, the report said.

Within the industry, sex dolls are one of the hottest sellers, with one factory in eastern China’s Zhejiang province making an average of 800 dolls a day, according to the Times report. That factory owner said that the facility produced 70,000 dolls in 2010, worth a total of 5 million yuan, or $792,700.

Most of the dolls were sold in major cities in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, as well as in Beijing, while some were also exported to South Korea, Japan and Turkey, the factory owner said.

China’s first sex shop, an outlet that opened in Beijing in 1993, started a trend and similar stores have popped up nationwide.

Now, China can count on more than 1,000 factories that produce sex toys and novelties. The industry, the report said, is almost completely free of government regulations.

“The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong looks forward to a significant increase in tourists from Hong Kong visiting Boracay and other points of interest in the Philippines given the Philippine government’s target of 10 million tourists by 2016,” the consulate said.

“Kalibo is one of the international gateways to the world-famous island of Boracay,” the DFA noted.

In March, Philippine air carrier Cebu Pacific launched direct flights from Hong Kong to Kalibo.

On April 18, flag carrier Philippine Airlines also launched its own direct flights.

The proposed change in policy follows a cross-strait agreement reached earlier this month to allow residents of 10 more Chinese cities to visit Taiwan as FITs.

Currently, only Chinese from Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen are allowed to travel as FITs. Based on the agreement, residents from Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu can starting visiting as FITs starting from Saturday next week. Those from Jinan, Xian, Fuzhou and Shenzhen are also expected to be allowed to travel as FITs some time before the end of this year.

To ensure quality service for tour groups from China, the Guidelines on Arranging Quality Tour Groups in Taiwan for Chinese Tourists (旅行業接待大陸地區人民來臺觀光旅遊團品質注意事項) stipulate that each Chinese tourist visiting through a tour group must not be charged less than US$60 a day.

Article 22 in the Regulations for Administration of Travel Agencies (旅行業管理規則) also bars travel agencies from charging commission fees on travelers’ shopping or profiting from activities other than those in the original tour itinerary.

Chen Chiung-hua (陳瓊華), deputy chief of the bureau’s hotel, travel and training division, said the bureau would propose revising two regulations in response to the changes in the tourism market caused by the increase of international tourists.

“Article 22 in the Regulations for Administration of Travel Agencies was stipulated to regulate the nation’s travel agencies arranging overseas tours for Taiwanese. However, charging reasonable commission fees from travelers’ shopping should be made an acceptable practice in the market,” Chen said.

To help UAE firms take advantage of this growth, the Dubai Chinese Learning Center (DCLC), in partnership with Dubai-based event organiser The Main Event (TME), will hold the Chinese Cultural Awareness, Social & Business Communication Conference, on 23rd-24th May, to enable professionals to better understand the customs and principles of dealing with Chinese tourists to the UAE.

“The UAE has seen a huge rise in the number of tourists from China since 2009 when it gained “approved destination” status from the Chinese government to allow tourist groups there,” commented Lucy Chuang, Managing Director, Global Sino and DCLC.

“The UAE has certainly benefited from its safe-haven status amid regional turmoil and the number of visitors from China is expected to grow further as they continue to enjoy the mix of leisure, cultural and retail tourism Dubai and Abu Dhabi have to offer. A flying time of around eight hours and a growing airline capacity between the two countries, help make the UAE an ideal destination for Chinese tourists.”

In March this year Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways signed an MoU with China Eastern Airlines that included joint route and schedule co-ordination. Meanwhile, Dubai’s Emirates continues to increase the number of routes for its Airbus A380 to China. Not to be outdone, China’s big airlines are embarking on an aggressive expansion plan to match that of the major Gulf carriers.

The rising number of Chinese tourists in the UAE reflects the overall jump in the number heading overseas. Around 57.4 million Chinese went abroad in 2011, up 20.4% from 2010 according to the NTA. This figure is expected to increase to around 84 million by 2015.

Day one of the conference in Dubai will focus on Chinese cultural awareness and experts will introduce delegates to a number of topics including language, belief and customs; cultural values and attitudes; the Chinese socio-economic environment; social etiquette and protocol and building relationships.

The second day will look at social and business communications and cover areas such as the behaviours and needs of the Chinese traveler; negotiating with Chinese customers; dining and entertainment and greetings and introductions.

The conference will also cover titles and forms, colour symbolism in Chinese culture and the Chinese way of negotiating.

“This forum will benefit anyone who has face-to-face or virtual contact with China and Chinese tourists in the UAE. This includes business owners, marketing managers, and sales executives of tourism services, luxury goods and activities,” remarked Shannon Norris, Director,TME.

“At the end of the conference delegates will have a better understanding of the key drivers that motivate the Chinese traveler and will appreciate the etiquette fundamentals for social and business situations. They will also be able to demonstrate improved communication skills with the Chinese community.”

“China is a lucrative travel market demonstrated by the surge of Chinese visitors to the state of Nevada,” Krolicki said. “We have been working tirelessly for more than a decade with our tourism industry to foster relationships with key government officials, travel professionals and the media, and to create a dialogue around why Nevada should be the destination of choice for Chinese leisure and business travelers.”

Brand USA, a public-private partnership created by federal legislation to market travel to the United States internationally, has identified China as a high-priority market, stating that demand for travel visas has increased 124 percent since 2005. According to the U.S. Travel Association, the number of visitors from Mainland China to the U.S. is expected to increase 219 percent by 2015.

The maximum capitalization of establishing the airline will be $198 million, it added.

“The shareholding percentage in Jetstar Hong Kong will be equally held by China Eastern Airlines and Qantas Group, which will be equal partners in the joint venture,” Qantas said in a statement.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the agreement will build a strong platform for accessing the world’s largest, fastest growing and most profitable aviation market, Xinhua reported.

China Eastern Airlines Chairman Liu Shaoyong said the airline was pleased to be extending its 20 year relationship with the Qantas Group.

The Jetstar Group is Asia Pacific’s fastest growing and largest low fares network by revenue, with airlines in Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand. It operates up to 3,000 flights a week to almost 60 destinations.

Qiwei also said that China has seen a rapid growth in outbound travel and has become highly significant in sustaining the growth of global tourism, The Xinhua reports.

He said that Chinese people made a total of 70.25 million visits to other countries or regions in 2011, making it the biggest source of outbound tourists in Asia.

According to the World Tourism rankings, compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, France is the world’s top tourist destination with 76.80 million international tourists arrivals, while the US is at second position with 59.75 million tourists arrivals. (ANI)

Located 330 kilometers southeast of South China’s Hainan province, the Xisha Islands are one of the four big island groups in the South China Sea, together with the Dongsha, Nansha and Zhongsha islands.

“Working together with the National Tourism Administration, we are designing a specific plan to open the Xisha Islands to tourists,” said Wang Rulong, an official from the policy and regulation division of the Hainan tourism development commission.

The plan will spell out policies for industrial distribution, environmental protection of the uninhabited islands and other important factors related to the development of tourism in the islands, Wang said.

There is as yet no detailed timetable for carrying out the plan, he said.

“Our tourism development plan for the Xisha Islands will be in accordance with our country’s diplomatic strategy,” Wang said.

Former deputy director of the National Tourism Administration, Zhang Xiqin, who is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said that the development of the Xisha Islands is “not simply an exploration of travel resources, it’s more about safeguarding sovereignty over these islands”.

“Personally, I think it is very necessary to open the Xisha Islands as a tourist destination,” Zhang said. “Allow our citizens to step on the Xisha Islands and they will have a stronger feeling that the Xishas and Nansha Islands are indispensable parts of China.”

Zhang said that traveling to the Xisha Islands might be inconvenient at present as there are no civil airlines or cruise boats to connect the islands to other parts of China.

“However, if our government attaches more importance to developing tourism on these islands, this will no longer be a problem,” he said.

Wang Xuan, a Beijing resident, said he is looking forward to traveling to the Xisha Islands.

“The Xisha Islands are so mysterious, and since they are untouched by pollution, the scenery must be breathtaking,” he said.

JC Mandarin Hotel is located at the center of the city’s business and shopping districts at world-famous Nanjing Road.

The hotel features 514 guestrooms and one of the city’s largest ballrooms. Its F&B outlets include the Wine Bar & Grille Restaurant for steaks and chops to its Mandarin Pavilion Chinese Restaurant and a Cuba Cigar Lounge. In addition, the hotel’s extensive Fitness Centre and European Wellness Spa provide round-the-clock relaxation and stress reduction for all.

“It is our great pleasure to be awarded the management contract for the JC Mandarin Hotel,” said Chris van der Baars, Interstate China’s Chief Operating Officer. “The hotel’s great history and reputation are a tribute to Interstate China, and we are proud to provide our management and guest service systems and proprietary systems to the property. We welcome the JC Mandarin to the Interstate China family which now represents seven managed and signed hotels with over 2,500 rooms throughout China.”

 In December 2010 the company was appointed to manage the luxury J Hotel located in Shanghai Tower. Expected to be one of the world’s tallest hotels, the J Hotel is scheduled to open in 2015.

Interstate China also manages five-star hotels in Beijing and Wuhan.

The Constance Hotels Group with their Ephelia & Lemuria Resorts on Mahe and Praslin and the Beachcomber Hotels with their Sainte Anne Resort are forging ahead to support the efforts being done to open that potential market.

Recently, Ethiopian Airlines arrived with a large group of Chinese holiday makers and since then, regular smaller groups have been landing in Seychelles through the different airlines flying to Seychelles. The local DMCs (Destination Management Companies) have also been working on the Chinese Market, and several of them have recently undertaken working visits in China.

This week, the Seychelles Tourism Board China Office is joining in with a group of hotel companies from Mauritius in meetings in China to position Seychelles alongside Mauritius and La Reunion as the new tourism destinations for 2012 at the same time that the Seychelles Tourism Board will be heading a delegation of eleven tourism trade professionals on a working visit to Hong Kong all in a bid to open the Seychelles to the Chinese holiday makers.

“The commitment by three of our main resorts to commit one hundred rooms will encourage the Chinese tour operators in their efforts to promote Seychelles. It is a catch twenty-two situation. Without committed rooms, tour operators are reluctant to invest to promote the destination. Now they can forge ahead and promote fully our islands,” Alain St.Ange, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board said.

The Seychelles Tourism Board said that they remain committed to work with the local partners and all airlines serving the Seychelles to claim back the island’s share of the French, Italian, and UK markets and that they will work with everyone interested to work to develop new tourist markets for Seychelles. “Seychelles cannot sit and wait for the economy of Europe to get better and for air access to be what we all expect it should be. We need to work all together to reclaim our share of the market from France, Italy, and the UK, but we will also work with tourism partners wanting to diversify their client base by attracting tourists from new destinations,” Alain St.Ange said.

“Every tourist landing in Seychelles and staying in a hotel accommodation is a tourist, which we count on to help consolidate our country’s tourism industry. They are, immaterial from where they come, they are visitors that count for our country, and we need to be happy that we are able as a country to diversify our target markets,” Alain St.Ange ended in saying.